ComplaintsforBarnes' Auto & Towing Inc

• Initial Complaint

  09/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  8/30/24 my vehicle was incorrectly towed. I parked in a parking spot on the same property that both ********* and heavenly buffaloes share. The tow sign says I will only be towed if i walk-off the property which I did not. I was still in the same parking lot picking up food for a coworker before i headed over to ********* to pick up my order. I noticed the driver hooking up my vehicle and requested to have it put down. He stated that it would cost me ****** to have it put down. The driver gave me 10 min. I ran to the *** and on my way back running into the lot he was pulling out leaving with my vehicle. I then get a ride to the tow yard where they charged me an additional ***** to have it released. And had to wait an additional 15 minutes for the driver to arrive.I offered to cash app the payment I offered to have the payment taken over the phone The expectation of young adults to have ****** in a wallet is absurd; especially in the time we live-in with mobile payments and links that can be sent through sms to make payments. The lack of payment options in the moment are predatory and overly aggressive. My confusion is how come I was allowed to pay the ***** through a link they sent me to my phone when I was in-person at the tow yard but not in the parking lot where I miss-parked? And why wasn't I given that option to begin with? To me, it feels like they are doing all they can to ensure they take as much money possible. In the attached photo I parked in the first spot to the far left (the spots with white parking outline not the yellow ones) and just walked across and went inside heavenly buffaloes. As I walked over i noticed the tow sign and presumed i was okay since the sign even had heavenly buffaloes name on it and mentioned that I couldn't walk off the property (which i did not)

• Initial Complaint

  05/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  May 10th both mine and my daughter's car was towed from the ***************** in ***********. We were a customer at the ********************** a across the street. Because there was no other parking next to the restaurant i thought "customer parking" included surrounding stores and restaurants. My my main is against Barnes towing. at first they said we had to pay cash and it would be $280 for both cars. I saw a sign and a lot which I took a picture of that said we will accept credit cards and debit cards when my daughter called back to say we see that you accept debit cards. They said it will be 180 for the cars each when we went to go pick them up, they told me it'll be 360 for the cars total. I gave them a credit card, I checked my credit card bill and they had charged me 360 twice. I called them back and they said it was 360 for each car. I told them that is not what was explained to me. They said there was nothing they can do about it they also said the part of it was additional credit card fees, which by the way is way above the fees the normal credit card charges , I asked for receipt for they reset receipt. They tried to send me a receipt for the second car, but it was not my car. It had a different License plate number in a different number I called them back and told them they had sent me a receipt for a car that was not mine. They did not respond. I sent them a saying that the receipt they sent me was not for my car and if they are going to charge me for my car, I need to receipt for my car. I gave them the license plate number and again no response. I believe they illegally charged me just to get the money, of course the charges are ridiculous and I am also filing a fraudulent claim with my credit card

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  12/20/2023 $360 Towed car from Panera Bread parking lot in ***********. I walked to grab a pickup order one building over before picking up my food at Panera, which only took 3 minutes and he was already tying up my tire. Company did not give time to get a payment together at site, he had only started tying up the first tire by the time I came back to my car, he refused to take a card payment or a payment over the phone. He admitted watching me leave my vehicle, a young woman with out of state tags, and came over as soon as I left. He stated the tow yard was 15 mins away before he left and I called for an uber. My uber arrived 20 minutes after he left with my car and when I arrived at the tow yard he was still not back with my vehicle. This forced me to wait for an extended period of time out in the cold after paying the expense. The expense on site was $200 cash, but once I got to the tow yard it was nearly double at $360.

• Initial Complaint

  12/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I was bullied by the tow truck driver from Barnes ***************************** who blocked my car in and then pushed his tow bar against the rear tires of my vehicle as I stood and watched...even though I was at my car before he ever reached it and he never hooked up to me at all. He said there was nothing he could do, and told me that I could pay $ 140 to him in cash ( which I showed him I didn't have ) or pay $ 200 on a credit card to be " let go " --We are senior citizens in *********** for a medical procedure and my wife had been released an hour before this happened and was at a nearby motel resting and I wanted to get back to her with food & care. I had no phone with me which I explained to the driver to even call the police or a Uber to take me to an ATM or back to my motel but he said he would NOT let me leave until I paid the $200 on my credit card. - I felt entirely bullied and without any other resort but top pay. ** This is clearly a predatory towing company because I was away from my car for less than a minute to two and parked in a completely empty *********** parking lot -- The driver was threatening in his manner and told me if I didn't pay he would tow my car and I could pick it up the next day after paying $ ******. I will report the incident to the *********** police and hope the BBB can help me recover my money. **When we returned to **********, **, I called the company and the owner called me a liar, insisted they had hooked up my car and that she had video and photo evidence that was attached to the emailed receipt they sent me... of course, there were no photos or video attached to the receipt. Please help me in any way you can - your good work is appreciated.I've looked online and now see clearly that this company has been accused of the same exact behavior in *********** on Franklin ****** many times - several times in the last thirty days. I was scammed and taken.

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  My car was in the process of being towed when I returned. I was told by driver I could pay ****** in cash and he would release the car. He told me to Walk to ATM and once I returned the car was gone. A bystander shared that as soon as I walked off, the tow driver left with my car. I called Barnes office and I was told I had no options for speaking to someone to remedy the situation. When I arrived to retrieve my car from the lot, no one is available to open gate.

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  On September 2nd of 2022, Barnes Towing towed my car (a white Pontiac G6) from the McDonald's parking lot on ******** ****** in ****** ****, NC. During the course of towing my vehicle, the company violated three parts of Article 19 of Chapter 11 of the Code of Ordinances of the Town of ****** ****, North Carolina, which deals exclusively with towing from private lots. 1.) Section 11-304(a) proclaims that “the towing . . . firm shall provide a receipt for each payment at the time the payment is made.” When I made my $260 payment to Barnes Towing, I was handed no receipt of any kind. The person who received my payment was the man who towed my car. I do not know his name. I simply handed over the cash and the tow truck driver opened the gate so I could retrieve my vehicle. This transaction occurred at the Barnes tow-yard at 1272 Hatch Road ****** ****, NC 27516. Additionally, the tow truck driver failed to show me “Town of ****** **** Towing Information Handout” at the time of the transaction, which is a requirement under Section 11-304(b). 2.) Barnes Towing has inadequate signage at the McDonald’s parking lot where I was towed. Section 11-30(e) proclaims that towing signs must list “the maximum fees and charges for towing, hooking up but not towing, and storage; a statement that debit and credit cards may be used for payment; and the amount or percent of additional charges which may be added for use of debit and credit cards. To my knowledge, no signs, belonging to either Barnes Towing or McDonald’s, lists any of the aforementioned items. 3. Barnes Towing refuses to accept credit/debit cards when it comes to towed vehicles that were illegally parked. I was told multiple times by Barbie Adams, an employee of Barnes Towing, that they do not accept cash when it comes to towed vehicles that were illegally parked. A refusal to accept credit/debit cards is a violation of Section 11-304(e) and “is punishable as a misdemeanor."

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